As a student leader, Kenneth Brown Jr. 鈥19 built meaningful connections with mentors who invested in his success. Today, as assistant director of first-generation student support services, he provides that same guidance to the next generation of students.
What book is on your nightstand?
鈥淓verything Sad Is Untrue鈥 by Daniel Nayeri. It鈥檚 a family history novel rooted in the folktales of 鈥淥ne Thousand and One Nights鈥 and explains how his family became refugees. It鈥檚 a really engaging novel with tales of heartbreak and resilience.
What is your favorite phone app?
Threads. I enjoy never knowing what you鈥檒l find and getting to read people鈥檚 stories. One recent Thread was about a family group chat that exploded over wedding invitations 鈥 a cousin didn鈥檛 invite one relative鈥檚 partner of eight years but did invite another鈥檚 partner of six months. The Thread chronicled the tense family meeting that followed, and the eventual group chat meltdown. The most jaw-dropping fact: It was all a promotional moment for the author鈥檚 book. You never know.
If you could invite someone from history to dinner, who would it be?
I would invite two people 鈥 Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. They were friends but had a messy friendship breakup, chronicled in the podcast 鈥淥ur Ancestors Were Messy.鈥 I would like to have dinner, just to see or get the gist of what happened and why their friendship ended.
What is your favorite place on campus?
The bench outside of Powell that looks straight across the fountain in front of Alamance. I鈥檝e sat there on stressful days and sunny days, and in shared moments with students to talk about some hard things related to academics. It鈥檚 also a peaceful spot where you can sit, see the trees and listen to the water in the fountain.
When first-gen students leave 黑料不打烊, what do you hope they carry with them 鈥 not just professionally, but personally?
I hope they leave with a sense of community. It might be two people; it might be one. But I want them to understand what community looks like and how to build it as they move through life. A job, diploma, paycheck or whatever material things we use to measure 鈥渟tatus鈥 won鈥檛 keep you grounded when life gets hard or offer a warm meal or a hug when you need it. Community will. Yes, I want them to graduate and accomplish amazing things, but more than anything, I hope they value building and sustaining community.